Ambitious plans have been launched by three musicians to create a new multi-purpose performing and community arts theatre in west Croydon. The Barn, a planned community arts theatre in Union Street will have a multi-functional use for the community, including band rehearsals, TV productions, theatrical performances, concerts and live recordings.…

A new artist studio complex- the Rum Factory – was opened in the former News International site in Wapping last week by Bow Arts Trust. The Rum Factory studios in The Pennington Street Warehouse are named after the buildings previous use as a rum store, although they were more recently…

Lewisham Police station will host its annual Family Open Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Sunday on Lewisham High Street, outside the station. One of the officers from the station, Police Sergeant John Biddle said: “We hold it because it is important the police and local community work…

Voters in Tower Hamlets will head to the polls today to elect a new mayor for the second time in just over a year. The re-election was ordered after former mayor Lutfur Rahman was found guilty of electoral fraud and bribery in the 2014 mayoral election and ousted from office six weeks…

Police urge the public not to approach Jason Peirara, who absconded from a mental health unit in Hackney yesterday, while they attempt to trace him. Jason Peirara, aged 32, disappeared during a period of escorted leave from the John Howard Centre in Kenworthy Road, Hackney. He is described as…

Three men were stabbed in Croydon on Monday. An altercation that started inside McDonalds, North End is believed to have escalated outside the restaurant. Two teenagers were injured. A third male, aged 20 presented himself at a south London Hospital suffering stab wounds to his face. Metropolitan Police believe these…

“It took me a while to realise, we have lost in court but effectively we have won”, said campaign leader Nick Perry in his speech at St Paul’s Church West Hackney. The proposed unloved building will come but at least changes were made and – most importantly – Sainsbury’s stays…

Lewisham Toy Library in Catford could close due to funding cuts and the unexpected imposition of rent by the council. The charity, which has served more than 10 000 children over a period of 43 years, might be charged a monthly commercial based rent. On Monday, the Toy Library appealed…

A café in Norwood Junction station, Croydon could be forced to close because the landlords, London Overground Rail Operations (LOROL), have refused to renew its existing lease. Rachid Yassine, the owner of Café Basmaccino, faces an uncertain future since his previous lease “expired on Monday”. “I just got these documents…

One of the last surviving music halls, Hoxton Hall, has been given a new lease of life after a £2.5 million makeover. Funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, restoration works by Foster Wilson Architects to the Grade II-listed building took about a year to complete. When it re-opens soon, the…